On March 4, the University of Illinois at Springfield’s Volunteer & Civic Engagement Center teamed up with Wooden It Be Lovely (WIBL) for a meaningful Women’s History Month Service Project. WIBL, a women-run organization, provides transitional employment, mentoring, and recovery opportunities for women overcoming the challenges of poverty, addiction, and abuse.
The collaboration brought together five UIS students who volunteered their time and effort to assist WIBL participants in various crafting activities. These included refurbishing donated wooden furniture, candle-making, and creating other unique handmade products that WIBL sells to support its mission.
Emmett Rutter, a Graduate Assistant for the Women’s Center at UIS, expressed his hope that the event would contribute to solving some of the ongoing challenges faced by these women. He remarked, “I hope to be able to be even just a little bit of the solution to solving/helping the trauma, addiction, and poverty of communities in Springfield.”
The student volunteers played a crucial role by helping with tasks such as painting, sewing, restoring furniture, and packaging and price-tagging products for WIBL’s upcoming sale. In the process, the volunteers were able to build connections with the women involved in the program and learn about their personal journeys toward healing and empowerment.
The event was not only enriching for the WIBL participants but also for the volunteers. “It was amazing to get to know the stories of the women here and understand how they got to where they are in life now,” Rutter shared.
AJ Collins, a student employee at the Women’s Center at UIS, noted that the volunteers were eager to participate, stating, “We had students who were excited they were able to go as they learned a lot about what the organization does as a whole and how we can continue to come back and support them.”
The significance of volunteering at such events was also highlighted by Rutter, who emphasized, “People should attend events like this because they offer a unique opportunity to give back to the community by assisting them in preparing for their big sale and supporting these women who are now facing difficulties.”
The UIS Volunteer & Civic Engagement Center plans to collaborate with Wooden It Be Lovely once again on Tuesday, March 25. Members of the UIS community interested in participating are encouraged to RSVP to the event via UIS Connection.
This partnership serves as a reminder of the power of community engagement and how small acts of kindness can have a lasting impact on both individuals and the larger community.
Photographs courtesy of AJ Collins
